after being away from my students for almost two weeks, i was extremely eager to get back into the classroom and see them all again. i couldn’t help but feel loved and appreciated when i stepped out and saw all my kiddos lined up for the flag raising ceremony—the expressions on their faces radiated with joy—a special moment to say the least ☺ even though i wasn’t away from them that long, i found myself missing them rather frequently, realizing yet again how much i love these kiddos—let’s just say that my last day with them in may will be very emotional.
it was fun coming back and being reminded that i was going to get to experience christmas a second time! here in ethiopia, christmas is celebrated on january 7 so not only did we get that friday off from school, but a half day on thursday as well. having knowledge of all of this, i had my mom bring enough pens with them when they came so that i could give each one of my students a new pen for christmas. although it might seem like a pretty small/boring gift, oh my goodness, these kids were ecstatic! just the simple fact that they were given something to have as their very own meant the world to them and they were super appreciative. after school on thursday, both of my 4th grade classes had christmas parties that i was invited to! basically this is how these parties go down—decorate the classroom with palm branches bordering the chalkboard, grass lines the floor, “Merry Christmas” is written in colored chalk in both amharic and english, and the teacher brings in all these food delicacies such as homemade bread, popcorn, cookies, candy, juice, and coffee (for the other teachers invited to join in the celebration). i had so much fun experiencing this and felt spoiled by my kiddos! when the teacher found out that i had a digital camera, i quickly became the classroom photographer and documented the parties and took pictures of all the students (and am hoping to get prints of the photos in either butajira or addis in the near future).
seventeen students from taylor university, along with two adult sponsors, have been here serving here for the past week (and randall came along as well)! i can’t even begin to describe what an enormous blessing it is having them here. these students are basically doing what i did two years ago, teaching english to 1st-4th graders, playing lots of sports after school, and simply loving on the people here. i am really enjoying interacting with them (i knew a few of them prior to this trip which is exciting), especially sharing in their devotion time every night after dinner. each night a different student or adult leads the devotion and we sing worship songs as well—definitely a highlight for me each day. they are here until january 23 ☺
on christmas eve zondra and i got all the house kids together in the cafeteria, set up the projector, and watched the nativity story! movie night is obviously a big deal around here and it was wonderful seeing how excited the kids were about it. i brought out the mini bags of skittles that my family had sent and gave them a little sugar overload which they thoroughly enjoyed (yay davies family for always knowing how to incorporate some good ol’ sugar!)
on christmas morning there was a worship service held at the church where many of the house kids performed a drama and shared during the service. due to the fact that deme was providing the tu students with a tour of the compound (and zondra and i tagged along), we did not attend the service and i was so sad to hear all that we missed! after they got back from church, we had the opportunity to serve the house kids lunch—injerra and watt, with special potatoes and cheese, and cake for dessert! oh my goodness, they were sooo excited about the cake (i guess i would be too if i ate it like once a year! haha). we had a wonderful day together celebrating our King.
on saturday (jan 8) all twenty-two of us ferenges (aka white people), as well as four awesome house guys, hiked up to the orthodox church and then went a little further to get a better view of the overall area. i had a lot of fun getting to get to know many of the tu students better—such a huge blessing that they are here! along the hike i of course happened to see some of my students and i was blown away to see that one of my little guys lives like 2 hours from school! moments like that put things in perspective for me and remind me how i take soo many things for granted. wow. the descent was really really steep, rocky and narrow, which made for some interesting falls for some people along the way ha.
this past week (jan 10-14) was one full of blessings as well as trials. i gave my 4th graders their 5th test and was extremely excited about the results from one of the classes especially—14 students got 100%!! now that might not seem like a large number of students (14 out of 90 or so kiddos), but for me i’ll take little blessings such as these! i was so proud and made sure to communicate my excitement with them ☺ on tuesday afternoon both of my 3rd grade classes had their belated Christmas parties which again were so much fun to be a part of.
i’m including an excerpt from the song, Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns.
“I was sure by now that God you would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day but once again I say amen and it’s still raining
As the thunder rolls, I barely hear you whisper through the rain “I’m with you” and as your mercy falls I’ll raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away
I’ll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands, for you are who you are, no matter where I am and every tear I’ve cried you hold in your hand, you’ve never left my side though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm”
a major ‘storm’ has hit the people here at project mercy. on wednesday, january 12, one of the teachers on staff here at project mercy went home to be with the Lord. schwangzo, a young twenty-seven year old, was the P.E. teacher for grades 5-12 and this was his first year teaching here. during our morning break period, one of the teachers went to check on him because he hadn’t been feeling too well and hadn’t shown up to class and ended up discovering his body (we eventually learned from some of the hospital nurses that they think he passed sometime during the night). i was in my room during this break period and as i was looking out my window i noticed that all of the children began running in the direction of the teacher’s apartments and i heard all these loud noises so i went to check things out. someone shared with me that they thought a teacher had died and this ended up being confirmed. when i saw a few students lower the flag to half mast, it was a really tough moment for me, a strong visual emphasizing something so final. ( we later learned that he died of a ruptured ulcer.) when they brought his body out on the stretcher and lifted him into the truck, the sounds and sights i experienced were unlike anything i’ve ever witnessed. the magnitude of the wailing and tears was heart-wrenching, as so many students and staff followed the vehicle as it left the compound.
please be in prayer for the entire community here—fellow teachers, students, other project mercy workers, and of course, shwangzo’s family. he enjoyed playing a lot of volleyball and was helping coach basketball with some of the students here. i did not know him extremely well, but from the conversations and smiles we shared, it was apparent that he was a very kind and gentle guy who loved the kids well. the good that we can cling to in all this is that he loved Jesus and is now free of all discomfort and pain—praise Jesus! our time here on earth truly is a fragile thing and totally in the Lord’s hands.
i pray that God’s name may be lifted high throughout this, and that people can feel the love and peace that stems from Jesus. thank you for your prayers!
we obviously didn’t have school on thursday, so we spent a lot of time comforting the house kids and just being there for them. we ended up doing a major work project together—moving piles of dirt and rocks from one place to another—and it has easily become one of my fondest memories with some of the kiddos. everybody worked so so hard and had a blast in the process. later that afternoon we walked 2 ½ miles to go check out the progress on the new high school. it is such a beautiful building and so wonderful to see the countless ways in which project mercy is enhancing the overall community. on our way back we took a more scenic route as we walked through yards of the yetebon people. what an experience as we were able to see the lives of the people firsthand as they thresh teff (the grain used to make injerra) and eagerly greet us as we approached their tukuls . the highlight of this whole excursion was seeing seventeen of my students along the way—being able to get a better glimpse of their homes and families was amazing and of course i love seeing them outside the context of school. one of my 3rd grade boys walked with me for a long time and as we passed his home he crawled through some thorn bushes to give me two sticks of sugar cane—so adorable and thoughtful ☺
please pray…
- for all of those who were close to schwangzo as they seek answers and comfort
- for continued strength, energy, and peace for marta and deme
- for all of the students here as they prepare to take their semester exams
- for my heart as i continue to strive to know Jesus better—may i serve like Christ and live selflessly
- for wisdom and discernment regarding my future after my time here at project mercy—may God show me where He wants me to go
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
happy new year!
these past two weeks have been extremely meaningful and memorable to say the least. being able to surprise my family at the airport in addis was unforgettable—their expressions were priceless and mom definitely squealed (which i of course predicted would be the case ☺ ). despite their traveling setbacks (they had to spend a night in amsterdam on their way here because their flight was cancelled due to the winter storms; and their luggage didn’t arrive in ethiopia until we were leaving for kenya) we couldn’t help but focus on the biggest blessing of them all—the fact that all 5 of us were finally reunited!
we spent the first night together at marta and deme’s beautiful home and stayed up way too late chatting and catching up. the next morning we left addis rather early in order to make it to church in time at project mercy. i was so grateful that my family was able to worship with the amazing ethiopians that i have grown to love, and on this Sunday, we all truly shared in how BIG our God is —praise Jesus for that. some of my most favorite memories with my family took place while we were all together at project mercy:
- introducing my family to the house kiddos and all the other amazing workers here
- having the fam come to all my classes with me (and mom taking oodles of pictures in the process!)and love on all my students
- jack, sam and i singing christmas songs to a couple of my classes—wow was that amusing ☺
- going on a short hike up the mountains to the orthodox church with zondra and matt with gezahegn and adane leading us
- playing basketball and soccer together with the kiddos
- sharing some of my tshirts with dad, jack and sam and some of my other clothes with mom since their luggage didn’t arrive until we were leaving for kenya haha
i loved having my family come to all of my classes. my students had been looking forward to meeting them for weeks and seeing their precious faces light up when my family entered the classroom was definitely something special! i went in to each class with the mindset that i was going to be doing a little reviewing and then teaching them some new content, but with 4 new distractions in the room, that didn’t exactly happen ☺ instead, i just let my family enjoy their brief time with the kiddos, take lots of pictures, and sing silly songs—all of which were equally gratifying. it was great witnessing mom, dad, jack and sam loving on the kids and i love that they can now picture a little bit of what teaching is like for me on a day to day basis.
we headed back to addis after breakfast on tuesday (dec 21) in order to make it for our afternoon flight to nairobi. again, many of my students kept coming up to me and say, “teacher elizabeth no go kenya”, definitely making it hard to say goodbye to them. a few hours later we arrived at the airport, checked our luggage, and waited at our gate, only to find out that we were being bumped from our flight. the airlines had downsized the plane earlier that morning and were only accepting transit passengers, meaning that we were not going to get to leave for nairobi for another twenty-four hours, and meaning that we were going to miss one day of our safari. obviously this wasn’t exactly what you would call ideal, but as always, God has a purpose for each and every situation and wanted to remind us all of the need to exhibit a patient and trusting spirit, knowing that we are not the ones in control. despite another traveling setback for my family, something extremely positive resulted from the situation, as i was able to introduce my family to the incredible Godly man who drives me around addis when i’m in the city. haile has always stood out to me as a warm, gentle man of faith and i was extremely grateful that my family had the privilege of having dinner with him. as we were enjoying some good ol’ pizza, haile shared a story about what it means to pray for something without ceasing. for years, he, his wife and two children had lived in an apartment that did not have a shower, and every sunday he used a few buckets outside to bathe himself before church. this went on and on, so they began to earnestly pray that the Lord would provide them with a shower. they prayed and prayed that God would honor their request, and 8 years later he did. for 8 years this family prayed for a shower, trusting in His timing. i was totally taken aback by this, realizing that i have a long way to go in regards to praying for something so fervently. not only was i challenged by the faith of this family, but i was encouraged by the trust and patience that they displayed. it would have been really easy to just forget about it and think that God wasn’t going to answer their prayers after a few weeks or months, but that wasn’t the case—they continued to trust, continued to pray, and God did in fact answer. it’s during times like these that God helps me put things in perspective, knowing that being bumped from our flight earlier that day was in fact a part of God’s plan. as my younger brother sam put it, “maybe God didn’t want us on that flight so that we could spend this time with haile and be encouraged by his story”—and i like to think that he was exactly right.
a day later we arrived in nairobi (yay for being south of the equator for the first time!) and it took no time for me to notice how much more advanced this city was than addis. with 5 million people living in the city, prosperity and economic development oozed from its center, and the english speaking abilities of the kenyans were far greater than the ethiopians (largely due to the fact that they were colonized by the british for years). thanks to one of those magazines on the airplane, my mom found a restaurant that is widely accredited in the city that we of course had to try out. the name of the restaurant is carnivore, so you can only imagine the main type of food that is served there. super fun atmosphere, excellent staff, and delicious food—what more can you want? so here’s how the whole dining experience went down: they put a little flag at your table and explain that as long as the flag is up, the waiters will continue to bring you meat. once you take the flag down, essentially you are surrendering—fun concept right? so the meat started out rather mild, your typical chicken, beef, lamb, and then things got a little more interesting as they came around with chicken gizzard, ostrich steak, ostrich meatballs, crocodile, and ox balls. if you’re wondering, we all tried all the meat set before us (mainly so we can now say that we’ve eaten strange food like crocodile and ox balls), with some tasting much better than others ha.
the next morning we headed to a smaller airport to depart for our safari adventure! we took a twelve passenger plane to the amboseli national park, about an hour flight southeast of nairobi. our guide from our camp, philip, picked us up at the airport in one of those sweet safari land cruisers, exactly how i pictured it—no windows, no roof, just the fresh air and sunshine beaming through! we made our way to our camp, taking in all the wild animals that were roaming about. this particular park is known for the large amount of elephants that inhabit the area, and oh my goodness what an incredible thing it was to see so many wild elephants for the first time! later that afternoon we had philip take us to see a masaai village, one of the more common tribal people of kenya. to put it nicely, it was an interesting and educational experience and one that we did not feel necessary to repeat. we arrived at our “resort” around dinner time and were extremely impressed by our accommodations and the friendly staff. around 6 the next morning we awoke and unzipped our tent (hardly what you would think of as a tent when you look inside these beautiful lodgings) to see mt. kilimanjaro (the tallest mountain in africa that actually resides in tanzania)—a breathtaking view to say the least. we had a quick breakfast and then were off to the landing strip (yes, a dirt landing strip) to fly to our next national park—samburu.
a bit north of nairobi, samburu turned out to be the hottest out of the 3 parks we visited. again, we were warmly welcomed by a staff member from the place we were staying and made our way to our camp in yet another awesome safari land cruiser. it didn’t take long to notice how drastically different the terrain was at this park compared to amboseli—very dry, rocky, and dusty. we arrived at our place, the elephant bedroom camp, appropriately named this due to the fact that elephants do in fact roam the camp and come up to your bedrooms. because wild elephants and baboons freely move about the camp, we always had to be escorted by a guard whenever we wanted to go somewhere. we had some time to relax a bit before lunch (at this camp, we got to select our meals from the cute chalkboard menu display each day) and then headed out on our game drive. it quickly became obvious that this park had quite the variety of animals—giraffes, antelope, birds, elephants, lions, baboons, zebra—all to which we were very excited to see. on christmas morning (after our 6:30am game drive...definitely the earliest i’ve gotten up for christmas in a looong time haha) mom and dad came into our room singing christmas carols and bringing each of us a decorative gift bag. as instructed, we opened the bags at the same time to find a little stocking ornament that contained a piece of paper. we each opened our paper and jack read aloud its contents, saying that all 5 of us were going to be going on a hot air balloon ride in 2 days! talk about an amazing christmas gift!!! we were totally surprised and beyond excited for the opportunity ahead of us. we enjoyed a delicious christmas brunch, full of fresh fruit, juices, eggs, and cereal (you can only imagine how excited i was to delve into my cereal and cold milk! ha) and then went about relaxing for much of the afternoon. our places had mini pools so we even sunbathed and cooled off in the water which was a new christmas experience for all of us! after dinner that evening, we were greeted by santa claus (yes, i got to see santa while in kenya ha) and then we proceeded to gather by the campfire and enjoy christmas carols sung by a kenyan church choir—definitely a memorable christmas!
we finished our safari adventures at the masa mara national park, southwest of nairobi. with many more animals left to see, we were eager for the game drives that awaited us. masa mara is known for their wide array of animals and the variety and large masses that we saw reinforced that! allow me to name a few of the new animals we saw: cheetah, cape buffalo, oryx, dic dic, hippo, leopard, rhino, male lion (with huge mane!), and hyena! each were incredibly amazing to see, especially the cheetah devouring a gazelle and the male lion walking right by our jeep! it’s evident that God’s artistic hands embody these animals and the landscape they find themselves in, and what a joy it was to share in that for 6 days.
we awoke early monday (dec 27)morning at 4am to head to the site of our balloon takeoff. when we arrived an hour later and found out that there would be sixteen of us in the basket, you can imagine how enormous the balloon turned out to be! it was an amazing sight watching the balloon inflate and before we knew it, we were jumping into the basket and soaring above the tree line with great ease and comfort. we were able to be in the balloon for an entire hour, soaking in all the animals roaming below and watching the sun rise above the horizon. it was extremely serene and peaceful and one of the most amazing experiences of my life. for a while there, i felt like dorothy from the wizard of oz haha ☺ when we were told it was almost time to land, we sat down in the basket and proceeded to be dragged a bit on the ground until the basket tipped over. it was definitely an amusing moment and then we crawled out of the basket and hung out in the bush until a vehicle picked us up to take us to breakfast. breakfast in the bush was amazing—long tables, beautiful linens, and a delicious spread of food. you could say that it was an international breakfast, as people from dubai, greece, france, and america lined the tables. a little while later we made our way back to our camp to rest for a few hours before going on our afternoon game drive. this third and final place we stayed was called the royal mara and the interior of our rooms exuded with beautifully detailed wood carvings, definitely giving the place a lodge-like feel. along the camp was a river, meaning that tons of hippos were always close by. as a result, we again had to be escorted anytime we went from one building to the next and it was super cool getting to see and hear hippos very frequently (they sound a lot like a lawn mower in case you were wondering haha).
all in all, the time i was able to share with my family both in ethiopia and kenya was far greater than i could have asked or imagined. just the simple fact that they were able to come see me here at project mercy gives them a whole new perspective on the lifestyle i am leading and the people i love, better enabling them to pray for me during the duration of my time here. this entire trip, especially our safari, would not have been possible without the generosity and giving spirit of my late grandma who i affectionately called manama. i can’t even begin to put into words the void i still feel without her here on this earth, but i am forever grateful that she loved our family deeply and wanted us to share in these memories together.
it was really difficult saying goodbye to dad, mom, jack and sam (yes, i’ll admit there were many tears on my part), knowing that it will be another 5 months until we are together again. i wouldn’t trade these past 2 weeks for anything and am ever so grateful that they came half way across the world to spend time, encourage, and better know how to pray for me. God’s goodness never ceases to amaze me!
i pray that each one of you were able to celebrate God’s faithfulness this holiday season and that He blessed you with a very merry christmas and a happy new year! ☺
we spent the first night together at marta and deme’s beautiful home and stayed up way too late chatting and catching up. the next morning we left addis rather early in order to make it to church in time at project mercy. i was so grateful that my family was able to worship with the amazing ethiopians that i have grown to love, and on this Sunday, we all truly shared in how BIG our God is —praise Jesus for that. some of my most favorite memories with my family took place while we were all together at project mercy:
- introducing my family to the house kiddos and all the other amazing workers here
- having the fam come to all my classes with me (and mom taking oodles of pictures in the process!)and love on all my students
- jack, sam and i singing christmas songs to a couple of my classes—wow was that amusing ☺
- going on a short hike up the mountains to the orthodox church with zondra and matt with gezahegn and adane leading us
- playing basketball and soccer together with the kiddos
- sharing some of my tshirts with dad, jack and sam and some of my other clothes with mom since their luggage didn’t arrive until we were leaving for kenya haha
i loved having my family come to all of my classes. my students had been looking forward to meeting them for weeks and seeing their precious faces light up when my family entered the classroom was definitely something special! i went in to each class with the mindset that i was going to be doing a little reviewing and then teaching them some new content, but with 4 new distractions in the room, that didn’t exactly happen ☺ instead, i just let my family enjoy their brief time with the kiddos, take lots of pictures, and sing silly songs—all of which were equally gratifying. it was great witnessing mom, dad, jack and sam loving on the kids and i love that they can now picture a little bit of what teaching is like for me on a day to day basis.
we headed back to addis after breakfast on tuesday (dec 21) in order to make it for our afternoon flight to nairobi. again, many of my students kept coming up to me and say, “teacher elizabeth no go kenya”, definitely making it hard to say goodbye to them. a few hours later we arrived at the airport, checked our luggage, and waited at our gate, only to find out that we were being bumped from our flight. the airlines had downsized the plane earlier that morning and were only accepting transit passengers, meaning that we were not going to get to leave for nairobi for another twenty-four hours, and meaning that we were going to miss one day of our safari. obviously this wasn’t exactly what you would call ideal, but as always, God has a purpose for each and every situation and wanted to remind us all of the need to exhibit a patient and trusting spirit, knowing that we are not the ones in control. despite another traveling setback for my family, something extremely positive resulted from the situation, as i was able to introduce my family to the incredible Godly man who drives me around addis when i’m in the city. haile has always stood out to me as a warm, gentle man of faith and i was extremely grateful that my family had the privilege of having dinner with him. as we were enjoying some good ol’ pizza, haile shared a story about what it means to pray for something without ceasing. for years, he, his wife and two children had lived in an apartment that did not have a shower, and every sunday he used a few buckets outside to bathe himself before church. this went on and on, so they began to earnestly pray that the Lord would provide them with a shower. they prayed and prayed that God would honor their request, and 8 years later he did. for 8 years this family prayed for a shower, trusting in His timing. i was totally taken aback by this, realizing that i have a long way to go in regards to praying for something so fervently. not only was i challenged by the faith of this family, but i was encouraged by the trust and patience that they displayed. it would have been really easy to just forget about it and think that God wasn’t going to answer their prayers after a few weeks or months, but that wasn’t the case—they continued to trust, continued to pray, and God did in fact answer. it’s during times like these that God helps me put things in perspective, knowing that being bumped from our flight earlier that day was in fact a part of God’s plan. as my younger brother sam put it, “maybe God didn’t want us on that flight so that we could spend this time with haile and be encouraged by his story”—and i like to think that he was exactly right.
a day later we arrived in nairobi (yay for being south of the equator for the first time!) and it took no time for me to notice how much more advanced this city was than addis. with 5 million people living in the city, prosperity and economic development oozed from its center, and the english speaking abilities of the kenyans were far greater than the ethiopians (largely due to the fact that they were colonized by the british for years). thanks to one of those magazines on the airplane, my mom found a restaurant that is widely accredited in the city that we of course had to try out. the name of the restaurant is carnivore, so you can only imagine the main type of food that is served there. super fun atmosphere, excellent staff, and delicious food—what more can you want? so here’s how the whole dining experience went down: they put a little flag at your table and explain that as long as the flag is up, the waiters will continue to bring you meat. once you take the flag down, essentially you are surrendering—fun concept right? so the meat started out rather mild, your typical chicken, beef, lamb, and then things got a little more interesting as they came around with chicken gizzard, ostrich steak, ostrich meatballs, crocodile, and ox balls. if you’re wondering, we all tried all the meat set before us (mainly so we can now say that we’ve eaten strange food like crocodile and ox balls), with some tasting much better than others ha.
the next morning we headed to a smaller airport to depart for our safari adventure! we took a twelve passenger plane to the amboseli national park, about an hour flight southeast of nairobi. our guide from our camp, philip, picked us up at the airport in one of those sweet safari land cruisers, exactly how i pictured it—no windows, no roof, just the fresh air and sunshine beaming through! we made our way to our camp, taking in all the wild animals that were roaming about. this particular park is known for the large amount of elephants that inhabit the area, and oh my goodness what an incredible thing it was to see so many wild elephants for the first time! later that afternoon we had philip take us to see a masaai village, one of the more common tribal people of kenya. to put it nicely, it was an interesting and educational experience and one that we did not feel necessary to repeat. we arrived at our “resort” around dinner time and were extremely impressed by our accommodations and the friendly staff. around 6 the next morning we awoke and unzipped our tent (hardly what you would think of as a tent when you look inside these beautiful lodgings) to see mt. kilimanjaro (the tallest mountain in africa that actually resides in tanzania)—a breathtaking view to say the least. we had a quick breakfast and then were off to the landing strip (yes, a dirt landing strip) to fly to our next national park—samburu.
a bit north of nairobi, samburu turned out to be the hottest out of the 3 parks we visited. again, we were warmly welcomed by a staff member from the place we were staying and made our way to our camp in yet another awesome safari land cruiser. it didn’t take long to notice how drastically different the terrain was at this park compared to amboseli—very dry, rocky, and dusty. we arrived at our place, the elephant bedroom camp, appropriately named this due to the fact that elephants do in fact roam the camp and come up to your bedrooms. because wild elephants and baboons freely move about the camp, we always had to be escorted by a guard whenever we wanted to go somewhere. we had some time to relax a bit before lunch (at this camp, we got to select our meals from the cute chalkboard menu display each day) and then headed out on our game drive. it quickly became obvious that this park had quite the variety of animals—giraffes, antelope, birds, elephants, lions, baboons, zebra—all to which we were very excited to see. on christmas morning (after our 6:30am game drive...definitely the earliest i’ve gotten up for christmas in a looong time haha) mom and dad came into our room singing christmas carols and bringing each of us a decorative gift bag. as instructed, we opened the bags at the same time to find a little stocking ornament that contained a piece of paper. we each opened our paper and jack read aloud its contents, saying that all 5 of us were going to be going on a hot air balloon ride in 2 days! talk about an amazing christmas gift!!! we were totally surprised and beyond excited for the opportunity ahead of us. we enjoyed a delicious christmas brunch, full of fresh fruit, juices, eggs, and cereal (you can only imagine how excited i was to delve into my cereal and cold milk! ha) and then went about relaxing for much of the afternoon. our places had mini pools so we even sunbathed and cooled off in the water which was a new christmas experience for all of us! after dinner that evening, we were greeted by santa claus (yes, i got to see santa while in kenya ha) and then we proceeded to gather by the campfire and enjoy christmas carols sung by a kenyan church choir—definitely a memorable christmas!
we finished our safari adventures at the masa mara national park, southwest of nairobi. with many more animals left to see, we were eager for the game drives that awaited us. masa mara is known for their wide array of animals and the variety and large masses that we saw reinforced that! allow me to name a few of the new animals we saw: cheetah, cape buffalo, oryx, dic dic, hippo, leopard, rhino, male lion (with huge mane!), and hyena! each were incredibly amazing to see, especially the cheetah devouring a gazelle and the male lion walking right by our jeep! it’s evident that God’s artistic hands embody these animals and the landscape they find themselves in, and what a joy it was to share in that for 6 days.
we awoke early monday (dec 27)morning at 4am to head to the site of our balloon takeoff. when we arrived an hour later and found out that there would be sixteen of us in the basket, you can imagine how enormous the balloon turned out to be! it was an amazing sight watching the balloon inflate and before we knew it, we were jumping into the basket and soaring above the tree line with great ease and comfort. we were able to be in the balloon for an entire hour, soaking in all the animals roaming below and watching the sun rise above the horizon. it was extremely serene and peaceful and one of the most amazing experiences of my life. for a while there, i felt like dorothy from the wizard of oz haha ☺ when we were told it was almost time to land, we sat down in the basket and proceeded to be dragged a bit on the ground until the basket tipped over. it was definitely an amusing moment and then we crawled out of the basket and hung out in the bush until a vehicle picked us up to take us to breakfast. breakfast in the bush was amazing—long tables, beautiful linens, and a delicious spread of food. you could say that it was an international breakfast, as people from dubai, greece, france, and america lined the tables. a little while later we made our way back to our camp to rest for a few hours before going on our afternoon game drive. this third and final place we stayed was called the royal mara and the interior of our rooms exuded with beautifully detailed wood carvings, definitely giving the place a lodge-like feel. along the camp was a river, meaning that tons of hippos were always close by. as a result, we again had to be escorted anytime we went from one building to the next and it was super cool getting to see and hear hippos very frequently (they sound a lot like a lawn mower in case you were wondering haha).
all in all, the time i was able to share with my family both in ethiopia and kenya was far greater than i could have asked or imagined. just the simple fact that they were able to come see me here at project mercy gives them a whole new perspective on the lifestyle i am leading and the people i love, better enabling them to pray for me during the duration of my time here. this entire trip, especially our safari, would not have been possible without the generosity and giving spirit of my late grandma who i affectionately called manama. i can’t even begin to put into words the void i still feel without her here on this earth, but i am forever grateful that she loved our family deeply and wanted us to share in these memories together.
it was really difficult saying goodbye to dad, mom, jack and sam (yes, i’ll admit there were many tears on my part), knowing that it will be another 5 months until we are together again. i wouldn’t trade these past 2 weeks for anything and am ever so grateful that they came half way across the world to spend time, encourage, and better know how to pray for me. God’s goodness never ceases to amaze me!
i pray that each one of you were able to celebrate God’s faithfulness this holiday season and that He blessed you with a very merry christmas and a happy new year! ☺
Saturday, December 11, 2010
for the past week or so taylor and i have been singing the twelve days of christmas every day. sometimes we sing it when no one else is around, other times we sing it in the midst of large groups of people, such as on the bus ride back from butajira with forty other people on the bus. whatever the case, it’s definitely helping us get into the christmas spirit, that and the fact that i’m blaring christmas music from my room daily ☺
there have been many soccer games after school for the past couple weeks, with the different grades competing against one another. it’s been a lot of fun going to watch these games and witnessing the pride that the students have for their classmates—no doubt there has been lots of cheering and yelling! in my opinion, it’s much more exciting to watch a game where you know the people who are playing, and this was definitely the case as i got to watch my 3rd graders compete against one another—3A versus 3B. some of the boys had told me earlier in the week that they were going to be playing and asked if i would come watch—obviously i said yes. i seriously loved watching my boys play, and i was very impressed by their footwork and overall soccer skills—the game ended with a score of 1-1. i’m looking forward to watching them play again, as well as getting to watch my 4th graders show off their abilities ☺
zondra’s birthday was this past week and we got to have a bonfire to celebrate! it was definitely a memorable occasion and hopefully something we will get to do again. we sang lots of praise and worship songs, as well as christmas songs (with matt playing the guitar) and get this—taylor and i taught some of the house kids the electric slide—awesome...yes. to say that we had fun would be an understatement.
the stars here are unlike any i have ever seen—the sky almost looks fake and a picture would not do justice. the sky is pitch-black, with millions and millions of little lights shining ever so brightly. the grandeur and their exquisite beauty again point to God’s magnificence and creativity. i love that i appreciate something as simple as stargazing, another example of noticing the small blessings that can be displayed in grand ways.
i can’t even begin to put into words how excited i am for my family to arrive. it gives me so much joy that they will get to experience little snippets of my life here and get to meet so many of the people that i have grown to love. for the past couple of weeks i have been telling almost everyone i come across exactly when they arrive—i am sure they are tired of hearing about it by now, but oh well! ☺ my family will be here at project mercy for 4 days, allowing them to see various aspects of the ministry, such as attending church, watching me teach, witnessing the various trade skills, and of course, playing with and loving on the children. after that, we will all fly to kenya to go on a safari for a week! again, cannot contain my excitement regarding this opportunity! it’s going to be so amazing spending all this time with the people i love most, and even being able to celebrate christmas together in africa—what a blessing.
seeing as how i will be away for my students for over a week, i have shared with them about my family’s arrival and our upcoming trip to kenya. despite the fact that i’ve clearly communicated my plans with them (and of course had it all translated into amharic), a good majority of the kiddos think i’m going back to america and not coming back. many of them keep coming up to me and putting fake tears under their eyes and saying things such as, “no go to america, sad teacher”. even though i don’t want my students sad or confused, i will admit that i am enjoying this slightly, as it demonstrates their love for me and desire for me to stay with them. while i am away, matt, a twenty-six year old guy from indiana, will be taking over my classes. he is here volunteering for the month and there’s no doubt in my mind that the kiddos will love having him as their teacher.
this will be my last blog entry before christmas, so this is me wishing all of you a very merry christmas with family and friends! enjoy this special season and cling to the truth that we have in Jesus—we are nothing without Him!
please pray...
- for taylor as she travels back home to washington (she leaves tuesday,december 14)—she has been a true blessing and i will miss her so much!
- for my family’s safety as they journey here to ethiopia (they leave thursday, december 16)
- for patience and understanding as i continue to foster relationships with the people here.
- that i might continue to develop a spirit of selflessness and love as Jesus does.
something to consider..
“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace amongst those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14
there have been many soccer games after school for the past couple weeks, with the different grades competing against one another. it’s been a lot of fun going to watch these games and witnessing the pride that the students have for their classmates—no doubt there has been lots of cheering and yelling! in my opinion, it’s much more exciting to watch a game where you know the people who are playing, and this was definitely the case as i got to watch my 3rd graders compete against one another—3A versus 3B. some of the boys had told me earlier in the week that they were going to be playing and asked if i would come watch—obviously i said yes. i seriously loved watching my boys play, and i was very impressed by their footwork and overall soccer skills—the game ended with a score of 1-1. i’m looking forward to watching them play again, as well as getting to watch my 4th graders show off their abilities ☺
zondra’s birthday was this past week and we got to have a bonfire to celebrate! it was definitely a memorable occasion and hopefully something we will get to do again. we sang lots of praise and worship songs, as well as christmas songs (with matt playing the guitar) and get this—taylor and i taught some of the house kids the electric slide—awesome...yes. to say that we had fun would be an understatement.
the stars here are unlike any i have ever seen—the sky almost looks fake and a picture would not do justice. the sky is pitch-black, with millions and millions of little lights shining ever so brightly. the grandeur and their exquisite beauty again point to God’s magnificence and creativity. i love that i appreciate something as simple as stargazing, another example of noticing the small blessings that can be displayed in grand ways.
i can’t even begin to put into words how excited i am for my family to arrive. it gives me so much joy that they will get to experience little snippets of my life here and get to meet so many of the people that i have grown to love. for the past couple of weeks i have been telling almost everyone i come across exactly when they arrive—i am sure they are tired of hearing about it by now, but oh well! ☺ my family will be here at project mercy for 4 days, allowing them to see various aspects of the ministry, such as attending church, watching me teach, witnessing the various trade skills, and of course, playing with and loving on the children. after that, we will all fly to kenya to go on a safari for a week! again, cannot contain my excitement regarding this opportunity! it’s going to be so amazing spending all this time with the people i love most, and even being able to celebrate christmas together in africa—what a blessing.
seeing as how i will be away for my students for over a week, i have shared with them about my family’s arrival and our upcoming trip to kenya. despite the fact that i’ve clearly communicated my plans with them (and of course had it all translated into amharic), a good majority of the kiddos think i’m going back to america and not coming back. many of them keep coming up to me and putting fake tears under their eyes and saying things such as, “no go to america, sad teacher”. even though i don’t want my students sad or confused, i will admit that i am enjoying this slightly, as it demonstrates their love for me and desire for me to stay with them. while i am away, matt, a twenty-six year old guy from indiana, will be taking over my classes. he is here volunteering for the month and there’s no doubt in my mind that the kiddos will love having him as their teacher.
this will be my last blog entry before christmas, so this is me wishing all of you a very merry christmas with family and friends! enjoy this special season and cling to the truth that we have in Jesus—we are nothing without Him!
please pray...
- for taylor as she travels back home to washington (she leaves tuesday,december 14)—she has been a true blessing and i will miss her so much!
- for my family’s safety as they journey here to ethiopia (they leave thursday, december 16)
- for patience and understanding as i continue to foster relationships with the people here.
- that i might continue to develop a spirit of selflessness and love as Jesus does.
something to consider..
“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace amongst those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14
Thursday, November 25, 2010
this past week (11/15-11/19) was not our typical week of school. i got to school monday to discover that we were going to have the rest of the week off! tuesday was a muslim holiday, and the local government had cancelled school wednesday-friday so that the students could be at home with their families to help harvest the crops. this was a pleasant surprise, kind of like our own extended thanksgiving break, just a week early! it was wonderful having extra time to relax, read, and reflect on my experiences here thus far but i was eager to get back into the classroom and be with my kiddos.
some exciting things happened this past weekend as we had the chance to go into addis. zondra, taylor and i went into the city with margot and her father, denis, and their family friend colin. the two men had been hiking in the simian mountains in northern ethiopia for a week and came down to visit margot and experience all the various aspects of project mercy. we headed to addis after lunch on friday, and zondra, taylor and i had the privilege of staying at marta and deme’s home! they stayed in yetebon for the weekend and were so kind to share their beautiful place with us. margot, denis and colin stayed at the hilton where we joined them on many occasions. we were spoiled in countless ways, as we enjoyed fine dining, laying out by the pool, and wonderful shopping experiences. there was a bazaar on saturday where many local artists from addis gathered and hundreds of foreigners crowded to see and buy their amazing work! it was really funny arriving at the bazaar, as they were blaring christmas music! i was definitely not expecting this, and it felt rather strange to hear christmas music in such warm weather. i guess i’m so used to christmas in michigan or indiana that i always associate christmas with cold weather and snow! nonetheless, the music was a great reminder of the wonderful upcoming holidays!
get ready for this—on sunday morning taylor and i got to run in the 10th annual great ethiopian run! margot and her dad were already entered to run, and he was able to get each of us the shirt to be able to participate! it was an amazing experience, definitely one of my highlights so far. the course wasn’t exactly what i would call flat, and combining that with the altitude made for quite the run ha! there were around 32,000 participants running and walking in this 10K (6.1 miles)! we all wore yellow and green tshirts and there was so much energy, dancing, cheering, and singing throughout the run—very memorable. we even received medals when we crossed the finish line! way cool experience.
even though i was only gone for the weekend, i was excited to come back to yetebon and be with the house kids and staff in a place that really has begun to feel like home. these people are simply incredible and i so wish that all of you could share in this culture and people; for now i guess you can live vicariously through me!
classes were cancelled on wednesday (11/24) afternoon, as the whole student body had to help harvest the wheat and corn in the fields here at project mercy. it was really neat going down there with the students and watching them work hard and have fun with one another at the same time. zondra and i even helped carry a few loads of corn and wheat—the students definitely found that to be amusing ha. great photo ops presented themselves throughout the afternoon.
a large group of students and adults have been here for the week from CO. noel and tammy cunningham, who head up the cunningham foundation in denver, have been supporting project mercy for years and have blessed this organization in numerous ways. here’s a little promo for them...they also own a restaurant in denver called strings, which i hear has amazing food. it’s been wonderful seeing all of these people serve in various capacities using their God-given talents, whether through the venue of bead making, teaching, photography, painting, teaching computers, and cooking. under the instruction of one of their bead artists, i had the chance to make a glass bead all by myself! let’s just say it’s not as easy as it may look ha.
i didn’t know if it would be possible and i didn’t want to get my hopes up ahead of time, but we were in fact able to celebrate thanksgiving here in yetebon! noel bought all the necessary grocery items in addis (including 2 turkeys from the u.s. embassy!) and all 25 of us feasted together! it was such a nice surprise getting to enjoy little tastes of home! yummo. i will admit that i have definitely missed watching football this season, especially on thanksgiving. to make up for this, a big group of us went out and played volleyball which was a lot of fun. gotta do what you can with what you have ☺
i’m learning more and more what it means to take things as they come, being sure to recognize the little blessings of each day. i see the beauty of exhibiting a positive attitude and truly desiring to display a grateful heart each and every day. the people here exude with joy so naturally and i pray that i may continue to learn by their example.
things i’ve discovered...
- peanut butter m&ms are a delicious treat that i am savoring. mmmm.
- harvesting the fields takes a long time when you are working without machinery.
- listening to Christmas music is a must this time of year.
- my family will be here in 23 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as of 11/25)
things i’m thankful for...
- the love and grace that Jesus showers over me daily.
- my precious family and their faithful love, encouragement and prayers.
- the joy and love that my friends share with me.
- the beauty of this place that i am privileged to call “home” for 9 months.
- all of the children here at project mercy—i can’t begin to put into words what they mean to me.
- each one of you—thank you for sharing in this journey with me and being a blessing along the way!
some exciting things happened this past weekend as we had the chance to go into addis. zondra, taylor and i went into the city with margot and her father, denis, and their family friend colin. the two men had been hiking in the simian mountains in northern ethiopia for a week and came down to visit margot and experience all the various aspects of project mercy. we headed to addis after lunch on friday, and zondra, taylor and i had the privilege of staying at marta and deme’s home! they stayed in yetebon for the weekend and were so kind to share their beautiful place with us. margot, denis and colin stayed at the hilton where we joined them on many occasions. we were spoiled in countless ways, as we enjoyed fine dining, laying out by the pool, and wonderful shopping experiences. there was a bazaar on saturday where many local artists from addis gathered and hundreds of foreigners crowded to see and buy their amazing work! it was really funny arriving at the bazaar, as they were blaring christmas music! i was definitely not expecting this, and it felt rather strange to hear christmas music in such warm weather. i guess i’m so used to christmas in michigan or indiana that i always associate christmas with cold weather and snow! nonetheless, the music was a great reminder of the wonderful upcoming holidays!
get ready for this—on sunday morning taylor and i got to run in the 10th annual great ethiopian run! margot and her dad were already entered to run, and he was able to get each of us the shirt to be able to participate! it was an amazing experience, definitely one of my highlights so far. the course wasn’t exactly what i would call flat, and combining that with the altitude made for quite the run ha! there were around 32,000 participants running and walking in this 10K (6.1 miles)! we all wore yellow and green tshirts and there was so much energy, dancing, cheering, and singing throughout the run—very memorable. we even received medals when we crossed the finish line! way cool experience.
even though i was only gone for the weekend, i was excited to come back to yetebon and be with the house kids and staff in a place that really has begun to feel like home. these people are simply incredible and i so wish that all of you could share in this culture and people; for now i guess you can live vicariously through me!
classes were cancelled on wednesday (11/24) afternoon, as the whole student body had to help harvest the wheat and corn in the fields here at project mercy. it was really neat going down there with the students and watching them work hard and have fun with one another at the same time. zondra and i even helped carry a few loads of corn and wheat—the students definitely found that to be amusing ha. great photo ops presented themselves throughout the afternoon.
a large group of students and adults have been here for the week from CO. noel and tammy cunningham, who head up the cunningham foundation in denver, have been supporting project mercy for years and have blessed this organization in numerous ways. here’s a little promo for them...they also own a restaurant in denver called strings, which i hear has amazing food. it’s been wonderful seeing all of these people serve in various capacities using their God-given talents, whether through the venue of bead making, teaching, photography, painting, teaching computers, and cooking. under the instruction of one of their bead artists, i had the chance to make a glass bead all by myself! let’s just say it’s not as easy as it may look ha.
i didn’t know if it would be possible and i didn’t want to get my hopes up ahead of time, but we were in fact able to celebrate thanksgiving here in yetebon! noel bought all the necessary grocery items in addis (including 2 turkeys from the u.s. embassy!) and all 25 of us feasted together! it was such a nice surprise getting to enjoy little tastes of home! yummo. i will admit that i have definitely missed watching football this season, especially on thanksgiving. to make up for this, a big group of us went out and played volleyball which was a lot of fun. gotta do what you can with what you have ☺
i’m learning more and more what it means to take things as they come, being sure to recognize the little blessings of each day. i see the beauty of exhibiting a positive attitude and truly desiring to display a grateful heart each and every day. the people here exude with joy so naturally and i pray that i may continue to learn by their example.
things i’ve discovered...
- peanut butter m&ms are a delicious treat that i am savoring. mmmm.
- harvesting the fields takes a long time when you are working without machinery.
- listening to Christmas music is a must this time of year.
- my family will be here in 23 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as of 11/25)
things i’m thankful for...
- the love and grace that Jesus showers over me daily.
- my precious family and their faithful love, encouragement and prayers.
- the joy and love that my friends share with me.
- the beauty of this place that i am privileged to call “home” for 9 months.
- all of the children here at project mercy—i can’t begin to put into words what they mean to me.
- each one of you—thank you for sharing in this journey with me and being a blessing along the way!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
lots to update you on; it's been an eventful couple of weeks!
on friday (oct 29) i had the privilege of going to butajira with many of the americans from the medical team. this wasn’t my usual trip into town for internet usage, but rather a time of soaking up the local culture by means of the market! i had been to the market once before, almost two years ago when i was here with taylor university, so i was excited to be able to go back and take in all the sights. the market is home to the ethiopians from the surrounding towns and villages who come together every friday, walking for hours to sell food, furniture, clothing, household items, livestock, and the like. thousands of people are present, with our group of ferenges (the word for foreigners) sticking out from the crowds quite nicely. two of the high school guys that live here on the compound took us around and made us feel safe and secure, which we were very grateful for. both times i have gone, i have felt like it’s a scene straight from a national geographic magazine image—the authentic african market is truly incredible to experience. while making our way through the market, i came across some pumpkins and got really excited about getting one. for a couple of weeks i had thought it would be fun to get a pumpkin and carve it with some of the house kiddos, explaining that many children in america enjoy doing this around this time of year, so when we stumbled across them i knew i couldn’t leave the market without one! i sent gezahegn to go get one for me (knowing that if i were present during the purchase, they would rack up the price), specifying that i would like a very orange pumpkin. he returned a little while later with my pumpkin, which was in fact orange, but extremely long in shape! i didn’t think i needed to specify that i wanted my pumpkin to be round (i thought it was assumed ha), but oh well...my pumpkin has lots of character! ☺
saturday morning the medical team saw all the house children for dental check ups and physicals. in addition to perusing all the work that was being done in the tents, i had the opportunity to witness a surgery for the first time! mike, one of the surgeons from america, was so kind to allow taylor and i to witness the small operation. he removed a rather large cyst below the left eye of an 8th grade boy from the school and i got to stand right next to mike as he worked, proving isabella, the nurse, with extra gauze when needed. i was doing good for a while, and then i started feeling really clammy and my head did not feel right so i decided to sit down. i was glad i didn’t pass out haha, and it was really interesting seeing what i saw, but this experience demonstrated that i would not be able to watch a more intense surgery, and i’m a-okay with that. it was super interesting and made me appreciate the work of surgeons and nurses that much more! knowing that these students wouldn’t be able to afford these sorts of treatment (root canals, surgeries, and receiving medicines) makes the work that has been done that much more incredible, as these wonderful people have so willingly given to the people here. the work that they have done is amazing and such a blessing to this community.
my alarm went off at 5:35am sunday morning, reminding me of my early mornings working this summer at the michigan international speedway. thankfully i wasn’t going to work at such an hour, but rather getting up for the hike that we were about to embark upon. there were about 15 of us (with 3 ethiopian guys as our guides) geared up to spend our morning hiking up the mountains; half of us went all the way up to the fanna waterfall, and the other half went to the orthodox church. due to their hike being a shorter distance, those who went to the orthodox church made it back in time for the entire church service. those of us who hiked up to the waterfall made it to church a little later, as our hike took 5 hours round trip. we had such a blast hiking together and being immersed in God’s glorious creation. the views were breathtaking, and all the pictures and memories that were made along the way were wonderful. i couldn’t believe it when i saw a couple of my students way up in the mountains...definitely puts things in perspective when i see how far some of these students walk to school. and they loved helping me along the trail and making sure that i was doing ok...i think they were pretty shocked to see their teacher outside of school ☺
i finally have documentation of me teaching! on monday morning weldon, one of the members of the medical team, was so kind to come into a few of my classes and take hundreds (no joke) of pictures and some video footage! i was thrilled for him to see my kiddos and am forever grateful for the images he was able to capture for me. hopefully some of them will be posted in the near future (and all credit goes to him) so you can finally see what a class of 95 kiddos looks like!
on wednesday morning i had the opportunity to bring tesfaye, one of my 4th grade students, to see jenny, the physical therapist on the medical team. i have been concerned about the way he walks (he walks on the outside of his right foot and the inside of his left...major limping) and wanted jenny to take a look at him and see what she thought. she worked with him for quite some time, noting the lack of strength in his legs and quite a bit of immobility with his ankles. with kidane translating for us, we learned that when tesfaye was 2 years old, he fell off a bridge into a pile of rocks. thankfully he went to a hospital in butajira and they were able to give him a lift of some sort to put in his shoes, but he hasn’t gone back since. he said that for a long time he walked on his knees because he wasn’t able to stand up. his story is heart-wrenching, as i look and see what he has to deal with each and every day. when i asked him how long it takes him to get to school, that is when i about lost it—he walks over an hour each way. i will be working with him everyday after lunch to stretch his legs and hopefully strengthen his muscles, and we have alerted marta and deme of his condition (along with a few others) and need to see an orthopedic in butajira. a little bit of my heart breaks each day because of stories and experiences like this one. i can’t even begin to describe how i take things for granted...like when my parents bought me orthotics in high school to relieve my hip flexor problems, something that now seems so minor when i look at sweet tesfaye’s conditions. i pray that the Lord would continue to soften my heart so that i may see people the way He does—as beautiful and special creations of His intricate design.
after lunch on wednesday the medical team made their way back to addis. i never have been fond of goodbyes, and it was especially hard saying goodbye to these remarkable individuals. it’s amazing how close you can bond with fellow believers when you are immersed in a new culture and living in such close proximity each day, serving others and ultimately Jesus. i am confident that the Lord used them in mighty ways as they served with arms outstretched, day in and day out. i was thoroughly intrigued by all of the medical work that was being done and all praise and glory to Jesus for the 800 or so people they were able to see and assist! in addition to all that they contributed medically, they were a true source of encouragement to me as they took time to get to know me and allow me to share about my family, what God has been teaching me while i’ve been here, and teaching. i’m so blessed by all of the amazing people God brings through this ministry.
following dinner wednesday evening, us four girls (zondra, taylor, margot and i...the fearsome four, the fab four, the feregne four...still deciding on our name haha) had a movie night! zondra had a projector brought to her (via the medical team) and we were able to hook it up to her laptop and watch the movie bride wars! we even made popcorn on the stove. yum-o. definitely a fun evening and something we will have to do again.
get ready for this—we now have internet access here in yetebon. i’m still in shock and totally psyched about it. zondra had purchased this device in addis a couple months ago called an EVDO that allows you to pick up a network signal and obtain connection to the outside world! after a whole lot of waiting and trying, we finally got everything sorted out and can now use the internet in the comforts of our own rooms. she has paid for the month of november and we will see how it goes! my next goal—getting skype to work. rather ambitious, i know. ☺
things i’ve discovered...
- men do not wear shorts in this culture. interesting.
- i love hiking. and i want to do more of it.
- my amharic is improving. i’ve been told by multiple adults that my pronunciation is excellent (hopefully they aren’t just saying this to make me feel good ha). nonetheless, i’m encouraged.
- power outages can occur at the most inconvenient times— for example, during computer class when half of the students are using desktop computers. yay for lessons of patience!
- watching people get cut open is not for me; one time was enough ha.
praise...
-margot, a 26 year old from scotland, arrived about a week ago and will be here until nov 19. she has her bachelor’s degree and much experience with early childhood development and is using her gifts as she teaches at the kindergarten (taylor is helping her out as well)! i’m really enjoying getting to know her, as well as learning about scotland and listening to her beautiful accent! i’m thinking i ought to delay my arrival in coming home and do some traveling around scotland with her in may...thoughts?? ☺
please pray...
- for the safety of the medical team as they travel back to CA—may they continue to shine brightly for Jesus as they serve back in the u.s. and share stories of all they experienced while here.
- for zondra as she teaches with such passion and care to her 6th and 7th graders—may she be encouraged and know that she is loved and appreciated.
- for margot and taylor as they give of themselves to precious KG students—may they be creative and flexible in their teaching, and may they remain healthy.
- for continued understanding of this culture and these people—may they sense how much i love them and how Jesus loves them even more.
something to consider...
I was encouraged by a friend back home with this excerpt from one of Chuck Swindoll’s books, “...we are where we are:
-by His appointment
-under His care
-in His training
-for His time”
saturday morning the medical team saw all the house children for dental check ups and physicals. in addition to perusing all the work that was being done in the tents, i had the opportunity to witness a surgery for the first time! mike, one of the surgeons from america, was so kind to allow taylor and i to witness the small operation. he removed a rather large cyst below the left eye of an 8th grade boy from the school and i got to stand right next to mike as he worked, proving isabella, the nurse, with extra gauze when needed. i was doing good for a while, and then i started feeling really clammy and my head did not feel right so i decided to sit down. i was glad i didn’t pass out haha, and it was really interesting seeing what i saw, but this experience demonstrated that i would not be able to watch a more intense surgery, and i’m a-okay with that. it was super interesting and made me appreciate the work of surgeons and nurses that much more! knowing that these students wouldn’t be able to afford these sorts of treatment (root canals, surgeries, and receiving medicines) makes the work that has been done that much more incredible, as these wonderful people have so willingly given to the people here. the work that they have done is amazing and such a blessing to this community.
my alarm went off at 5:35am sunday morning, reminding me of my early mornings working this summer at the michigan international speedway. thankfully i wasn’t going to work at such an hour, but rather getting up for the hike that we were about to embark upon. there were about 15 of us (with 3 ethiopian guys as our guides) geared up to spend our morning hiking up the mountains; half of us went all the way up to the fanna waterfall, and the other half went to the orthodox church. due to their hike being a shorter distance, those who went to the orthodox church made it back in time for the entire church service. those of us who hiked up to the waterfall made it to church a little later, as our hike took 5 hours round trip. we had such a blast hiking together and being immersed in God’s glorious creation. the views were breathtaking, and all the pictures and memories that were made along the way were wonderful. i couldn’t believe it when i saw a couple of my students way up in the mountains...definitely puts things in perspective when i see how far some of these students walk to school. and they loved helping me along the trail and making sure that i was doing ok...i think they were pretty shocked to see their teacher outside of school ☺
i finally have documentation of me teaching! on monday morning weldon, one of the members of the medical team, was so kind to come into a few of my classes and take hundreds (no joke) of pictures and some video footage! i was thrilled for him to see my kiddos and am forever grateful for the images he was able to capture for me. hopefully some of them will be posted in the near future (and all credit goes to him) so you can finally see what a class of 95 kiddos looks like!
on wednesday morning i had the opportunity to bring tesfaye, one of my 4th grade students, to see jenny, the physical therapist on the medical team. i have been concerned about the way he walks (he walks on the outside of his right foot and the inside of his left...major limping) and wanted jenny to take a look at him and see what she thought. she worked with him for quite some time, noting the lack of strength in his legs and quite a bit of immobility with his ankles. with kidane translating for us, we learned that when tesfaye was 2 years old, he fell off a bridge into a pile of rocks. thankfully he went to a hospital in butajira and they were able to give him a lift of some sort to put in his shoes, but he hasn’t gone back since. he said that for a long time he walked on his knees because he wasn’t able to stand up. his story is heart-wrenching, as i look and see what he has to deal with each and every day. when i asked him how long it takes him to get to school, that is when i about lost it—he walks over an hour each way. i will be working with him everyday after lunch to stretch his legs and hopefully strengthen his muscles, and we have alerted marta and deme of his condition (along with a few others) and need to see an orthopedic in butajira. a little bit of my heart breaks each day because of stories and experiences like this one. i can’t even begin to describe how i take things for granted...like when my parents bought me orthotics in high school to relieve my hip flexor problems, something that now seems so minor when i look at sweet tesfaye’s conditions. i pray that the Lord would continue to soften my heart so that i may see people the way He does—as beautiful and special creations of His intricate design.
after lunch on wednesday the medical team made their way back to addis. i never have been fond of goodbyes, and it was especially hard saying goodbye to these remarkable individuals. it’s amazing how close you can bond with fellow believers when you are immersed in a new culture and living in such close proximity each day, serving others and ultimately Jesus. i am confident that the Lord used them in mighty ways as they served with arms outstretched, day in and day out. i was thoroughly intrigued by all of the medical work that was being done and all praise and glory to Jesus for the 800 or so people they were able to see and assist! in addition to all that they contributed medically, they were a true source of encouragement to me as they took time to get to know me and allow me to share about my family, what God has been teaching me while i’ve been here, and teaching. i’m so blessed by all of the amazing people God brings through this ministry.
following dinner wednesday evening, us four girls (zondra, taylor, margot and i...the fearsome four, the fab four, the feregne four...still deciding on our name haha) had a movie night! zondra had a projector brought to her (via the medical team) and we were able to hook it up to her laptop and watch the movie bride wars! we even made popcorn on the stove. yum-o. definitely a fun evening and something we will have to do again.
get ready for this—we now have internet access here in yetebon. i’m still in shock and totally psyched about it. zondra had purchased this device in addis a couple months ago called an EVDO that allows you to pick up a network signal and obtain connection to the outside world! after a whole lot of waiting and trying, we finally got everything sorted out and can now use the internet in the comforts of our own rooms. she has paid for the month of november and we will see how it goes! my next goal—getting skype to work. rather ambitious, i know. ☺
things i’ve discovered...
- men do not wear shorts in this culture. interesting.
- i love hiking. and i want to do more of it.
- my amharic is improving. i’ve been told by multiple adults that my pronunciation is excellent (hopefully they aren’t just saying this to make me feel good ha). nonetheless, i’m encouraged.
- power outages can occur at the most inconvenient times— for example, during computer class when half of the students are using desktop computers. yay for lessons of patience!
- watching people get cut open is not for me; one time was enough ha.
praise...
-margot, a 26 year old from scotland, arrived about a week ago and will be here until nov 19. she has her bachelor’s degree and much experience with early childhood development and is using her gifts as she teaches at the kindergarten (taylor is helping her out as well)! i’m really enjoying getting to know her, as well as learning about scotland and listening to her beautiful accent! i’m thinking i ought to delay my arrival in coming home and do some traveling around scotland with her in may...thoughts?? ☺
please pray...
- for the safety of the medical team as they travel back to CA—may they continue to shine brightly for Jesus as they serve back in the u.s. and share stories of all they experienced while here.
- for zondra as she teaches with such passion and care to her 6th and 7th graders—may she be encouraged and know that she is loved and appreciated.
- for margot and taylor as they give of themselves to precious KG students—may they be creative and flexible in their teaching, and may they remain healthy.
- for continued understanding of this culture and these people—may they sense how much i love them and how Jesus loves them even more.
something to consider...
I was encouraged by a friend back home with this excerpt from one of Chuck Swindoll’s books, “...we are where we are:
-by His appointment
-under His care
-in His training
-for His time”
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